ABSTRACT
Introduction: Hospital-acquired infections are a burden to society with an annual cost of millions of SEK. The use of antibiotics and the development of antibiotic resistance are on the increase. The most efficient way to counteract development of antibiotic resistance and hospital-acquired infections is to be immaculate with the basic hygiene routines and to disinfect the hand before and after every patient encounter.
Aim: Evaluate student compliance, view on knowledge and attitude regarding basic hygiene routines set by the National Board of Sweden at Malmö University of Dentistry.
Materials and methods: In this study, a point prevalence measurement has been carried out at the student’s clinic at Malmö University of Dentistry. Furthermore, knowledge and attitude towards the routines have been evaluated with a web-based survey sent out to students at the faculty.
Results: Results of this study show that the students follow the National guidelines well, except for the use of apron and the disinfection of their hands during treatment sessions. In contrast to the aprons, the students consider themselves correctly following the routines of disinfection and also have knowledge about how it should be carried out and when. Analysis of the point prevalence measurement shows that 60-80 % of the students fail to follow the routines of hand disinfection.
Conclusion: The students lack in compliance regarding to hand disinfection and the use of apron. They see their classmates violate the guidelines but do not inform them of the violation. The students overestimate their own compliance compared to what have been observed.